Why Latitudes are Better
Written: Jan 08 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Lightweight, Powerful, DVD
Cons: None
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| calbear81's Full Review: Dell Latitude C600 (220-6670) PC Notebook |
My Experience
Working as a consultant at the computer store at one of the world's top universities have afforded me a first hand experience towards a lot of different brands of laptops and computer periphelia in general. The top brand that we sell is of course Dell and we ALWAYS recommend and sell Latitudes over Inspirons. Many people do not know the real difference between them and I'm here to give you a few facts that I've learned. On top of that, I will tell you about the really amazing C600 laptop by Dell.
The Latitude Series
The Latitude line of laptops from Dell are part of their business class machines and anyone who wants to run Linux or Windows 2000 MUST get a Latitude or risk running really slowly. The Latitude series use higher grade components that have been rigorously tested time and time again for the most stable performance under high-stress networked business environments. This translates to not the newest technologies always incorporated, but definitely the best and most stable. The C600 is a change because it's a Latitude that is basically a complete desktop replacement. Every Dell Representative is equipped with none other than a Latitude CPxJ (Last time I checked). Dell's intelligent design of Latitudes have won them many awards in terms of reliability and durability.. It even survived PC Magazines Torture test on laptops (Burn, Smash, Freeze, Cook). All in all, getting a business-class laptop is a better investment than a cheaper laptop which you will have to replace sooner.
C600 - Wow!
When our store got the C600 as a demo machine, the first words that came out of my mouth were "WOW!". It was about 5 lbs. and had a 14.1" XGA TFT Screen! Any comparable notebook would weigh almost 6-7 lbs besides the Sony VAIO. But I wouldn't bet on a VAIO outlasting a Latitude anytime soon.. and no way will it match Dell's 3 year onsite warranty and service. The C600 comes with a SpeedStep Pentium 3 CPU (SpeedStep means it runs at two speeds depending on the power source) that can go as high as 850Mhz and comes standard with 128MB SDRAM although 256MB upgrade is recommended if you're going to be running Windows 2000. It comes with optional DVD and floppy and zip module bay expansion drives and a standard 8-cell lithium-ion battery. With everything inside the laptop, it still weights a mere 6.5 lbs. I tried out a 3D game on the laptop and the 3D was not shabby for a laptop with 8MB video RAM which can be customized to include up to 16MB or even higher if you choose to buy the higher end C800 line.
Price
When the C600 first came out, the price was above 3,000 for a well equipped model. After a few months, the price dropped significantly and now with 2,300 you can get a PIII 700 w/ 128MB RAM and DVD too! What a great deal! You probably could find a cheaper laptop elsewhere, but with such a great investment, do you want to trust your work and money to a company which has not proved itself so well as Dell has in the laptop arena? I don't think so.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
calbear81
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Member: Roger Wong
Location: Berkeley, CA
Reviews written: 45
Trusted by: 21 members
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